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Maximize Credit Rewards, Score a Free Honeymoon

My friend Marissa is the queen of credit card points, so much so that she managed to score a free roundtrip ticket to Athens, Greece for her honeymoon a few years ago…and continues to maximize her credit card rewards for travel freebies. Here’s how she did it the first time around:

About a year and half before her April 2008 wedding, Marissa began paying for her wedding expenses–along with other day-to-day purchases–using her Blue Card from American Express. In general, the card rewards users with one point for every dollar they spend.

A little less than a year before her wedding, she and her fiance James decided to book their honeymoon trip to Greece. American Express stated it would cost approximately 99,308 points to book one round-trip airline ticket to Greece. Marissa wasn’t quite there yet, but she was able to borrow the remaining five thousand or so extra points she needed from AmEx. Points accumulated on her card in the future went towards the balance.

What about James? Don’t worry. He didn’t fly solo. He used his US Airways miles to book a free seat next to his bride-to-be.

Marissa’s points spree didn’t stop there. She continued to rack up AmEx points and paid for a free flight to Italy the following year. And most recently she got a new camcorder using 20,000 points–to record all the magic of their new baby girl, Brooke.

Of course, the trick to maximizing any reward card is to pay off your balance each and every month in full so you never face any interest charges. If you’re interested in following in Marissa’s footsteps and curious which specific cards offer great rewards for travel, here are two of great cards that offer unrestricted points towards any airline:

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Note: It's important to remember that interest rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products frequently change. As a result, rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products cited in these articles may have changed since the date of publication. Please be sure to verify current rates, fees and terms with credit card issuers, banks or other financial institutions directly.

Farnoosh Torabi is a nationally recognized author, expert and television host. Her first book, You're So Money, is an acclaimed tell-all for young adults searching for financial independence. Her new book Psych Yourself Rich, gives readers the mindset and discipline to build their financial life.

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Note: It's important to remember that interest rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products frequently change. As a result, rates, fees and terms for credit cards, loans and other financial products cited in these articles may have changed since the date of publication. Please be sure to verify current rates, fees and terms with credit card issuers, banks or other financial institutions directly.

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